Home at Last

I arrived home yesterday evening. The trip home took just over 30 hours. My time in Vietnam was amazing -- and challenging -- but I'm happy to be back. I'm anxious to share some photos with everyone, so I'm going to upload them now.

Thank you for following along as I traveled. If you have any questions whatsoever about Vietnam or Catalyst's work there, please get in touch with me!

En Route Home

I'm posting this from an internet lounge at the airport in Seoul, South Korea. I've completely lost track of the time in relation to Pennsylvania. It's 10 a.m. here on Wednesday, but, thanks to the international date line, I'll actually land in Chicago late Wednesday morning "before" leaving Seoul.

Caroline, the guru of all things Catalyst, is sitting next to me uploading photos from Friday's 100-mile bike ride. The link to Catalyst's photos is over on the right-hand side of this page. Check them out! (She's got photos by folder. The ones uploaded in March or April 2008 are obviously from this trip. There's a specific bike ride folder. Other than the ride photos, the majority of the photos uploaded thus far are from the construction team. There will be more to come!)

Sandy, our photographer, did a great job. You'll see fantastic photos of the countryside. Unfortunately, there aren't any photos of us in Saigon's rush-hour traffic as we rode the last 10-15 miles though. At that point, the van -- including Sandy -- had to go ahead and finish its drive. There was no place for it to pull over in the city.

I'll add my own photos from home as soon as I figure out how to.

I'll see or talk to all of you soon, once I'm back in the U.S.!

Perfect Ending

The volunteer team eats dinner together every night. At our final dinner tonight, Catalyst auctioned off the winning drawings from its 2008 My Vietnam art contest. These drawings were made by children from the three areas (Kien Giang, Dong Thap, and Saigon) that we worked in over the past week, by children that we saw in the clinics and played with at camp.

There were 30 winning drawings in all, from 3 different age groups. The money raised through the auction will be used by Catalyst to start a scholarship program for boys. Such an exciting expansion of their programs!

It was amazing to see the volunteers -- who have already given so much of their time and energy -- now bursting with enthusiasm as they bid against one another to give of their money as well.

Of the 30 winning drawings, there was only one from Kien Giang. For some reason, the people of Kien Giang were particularily special to me. I don't know if it is because Kien Giang is close to Soc Trang, where Ryan and Alyssa were born; because I saw its children living in a garbage dump; or because it's where Catalyst has built a school in order to build a life for these children. It's probably a combination of all of these factors and so much more.

Our "auctioneer" announced, "This is our only picture from Kien Giang. It was drawn by a 7 year old girl. She still lives in the garbage dump. She didn't know what it meant to draw a picture until we put a crayon in her hands. This was her first drawing."

Ihad to have it......and I got it. What a perfect ending to a remarkable trip.

Monday

Having left the hotel that we stayed at for camp,we're now at a resort in Long Hai province. It's very pretty. This will be a relaxing day, as our work is done. (The down time is difficult for me though, so I'm hoping the day moves quickly.) I'm going to go find a pool to sit by.

We head to Saigon by bus very early tomorrow......5 a.m., I think. It's a 4-hour drive, so we'll be there by mid-morning. That's great, because I've got a lot of shopping to do. I've got a flight out of Saigon at 11:30 or so Tuesday night, so I'll be on my way home shortly.

I hope to have the chance to post one more note from Saigon. If not, however, please be sure to check back once I'm home, because I'm anxious to share photos with everyone. I'll put them up here ASAP. (Also, you'll find a link to Catalyst's photos to the right on this page.)

Sunday's Report

Sunday was camp day. We spent the morning and early afternoon hours on a beach along the South China Sea, playing games and making crafts with the kids. Then we all went swimming in the sea. (And we were introduced to sea lice, which I'm told were killed when we later jumped into a (hopefully) chlorinated pool. Keeping my fingers crossed.)

It was difficult to keep track of all the children, but somehow we apparently finished the day with as many as we started with. (Whew!) I wish those kids could play like that ever day, instead of going home to struggle for food and an utter lack of clean water. For a day though, it was wonderful.

I'm told that the kids were up all night practicing flushing the toilets in their rooms.....and that they each took several showers throughout the day on Sunday! They seemed so "normal" that it's difficult to imagine all that they deal with on a typical day.

After dinner with the kids, we had a talent show. (Focus on "show", not on "talent"!) I was sitting with a group of girls from Dong Thap province, including a young woman who spoke just enough English to tell me that she's 17 years old. At one point during a skit, I heard a simple "Happy" come from behind me. I turned around and saw the girl with a huge smile on her face. If she was happy, well then that was good enough for me.

The medical team, including me, got up to do a quick silly skit that we put together during dinner an hour earlier. We were, of course, totally embarassed as we sang an adapted version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" while doing a kick-line. I learned later that the Vietnamese emcee asked the kids if they recognized us and the response from the crowd -- which included all kids we had seen throughout the week in the various provincial clinics -- was "Yes, they are the ones who love us." What an amazing feeling......I couldn't ask for more from this trip.

More Saturday

After packing up the clinic in Saigon, we loaded up the buses and headed straight to Long Hai province. That's where we were conducting the camp for Catalyst's scholarship and Kien Giang school kids.

The kids started to arrive after dinner Saturday night. There were 330 camp kids -- including 20 'ish boys. (Catalyst will start allowing boys to attend itsKien Giang school in the next week or so, specifically the brothers of the girls who attend. These boys joined us at camp.)

They were absolutely wide-eyed. The vast majority of these kids had never been on a bus, never been in a shower, never seen a "flush toilet", and never had enough food to fill them up. Volunteers had cleaned them and dressed them all in new clothes....they looked to fresh and healthy! It was wonderful to see. We actually recognized some children that wehad seen in the clinics earlier in the week.

The camp children stayed in a hotel separate from ours. (Foreigners are not allowed in the hotel that they stayed at.) I hope they had a fantastic night!

Saturday's Report

I'm posting from an open-air internet "cafe" at our last official overnight stop in Vietnam. I've lost track.....I think this is our 7th hotel. (The computer is fickle.....it doesn't insert spaces and won't let me actually view my blog, so I'm not sure how readable this will be.)

Anyway, having had no internet connection at our last stop, I've got some catching up to do!

We had our last clinic day on Saturday. We worked only half of the day, seeing approximately 85 girls, including those from the Little Rose Warm Shelter. This are amazing children and young women. My understanding is that the Shelter (which includes counseling and a school) is run by a public welfare agency in Saigon. Catalyst has worked to get several of "its" own girls into the program. Right now, there are approximately 45 Catalyst girls at the Shelter, and those are the girls we saw Saturday morning.

The Little Rose girls are all victims of human trafficking who have been recovered and/or victims of sexual abuse in their own home towns. Although I heard stories of human trafficking throughout our trip, seeing these girls face to face brought much of it home. Victims of human trafficking are as young as four years old. In Kien Giang, the young girls are brought out to a shack at the entrance of the garbage dump while their parents are at work in the dump. (Adults work during the day, when the sun is hottest. Children work at night.) The girls are raped -- those who scream are sent back to the dump (too assertive) and those who don't are taken. It's a horrible story, but I think it's one that needs to be told. Catalyst and its partnering organizations are teaching these girls how to scream -- both literally and figuratively -- and how to break the cycle of poverty in their lives.

Seeing these girls smiling with their peers at the clinic was amazing. Some of the older girls seem so confident and self-aware, which demonstrates the positive effect that the Little Rose shelter, school, and counseling are having on their lives. (The girls are generally at the shelter for one year. Then they are followed with counseling for another three months. The goal of the program is to either reunite the children with their families or relocate them. Older girls often "graduate" and then move in together, providing themselves with a support system.)

We also saw several of Catalyst's scholarship girls. In Vietnam, public school is "free" -- but not really. School may be free, but kids can only go if they can afford uniforms, books, and the fee for teachers. Catalyst searches out motivated children from their neediest areas and provides scholarships with donated funds. These girls look wonderful and I encourage anyone out there who is interested to get onto Catalyst's website and contribute to the scholarship program.

Better post this in case I lose my connection!

More on Biking

Huh... Well, I was pleased to learn yesterday that our biking escapade was about more than blistered hands and sore backsides. Specifically, the ride provided a benefit to Catalyst and our work here in Vietnam. A company in Minnesota that donated funds to pay for 60 of the bikes that we've given to the children here in Vietnam, contingent on the bike team doing the 100 mile ride. There was a second organization in Maine that then matched that donation, again, based on the ride. Fantastic!

Friday's Report

Wow.....what a day!!!

The biking team met at 5 a.m. to start the long trek from Dong Thap to Saigon. There were 7 riders for 6 bikes. In the van that followed us (and then went ahead to find places to rest), we had a driver, a bicycle repairman, an ER nurse from our Catalyst team, a photographer/cheerleader from our Catalyst team, and the extra rider, who would rotate in when we took breaks.

We hit the road around 5:20 a.m. It was absolutely surreal to be riding out on the streets of Vietnam before the sun came up. The sun did come up, however, and it got HOT! We took breaks every 10 'ish miles to reload water bottles into our pockets, to inhale a couple of granola bars, and to use the "facilities". (We'll call them "rustic" and I'll just skip the color commentary!)

Admittedly, I didn't see much of the countryside, because I was focussed on the road. There's more traffic in the region south of Saigon than I would have expected, but that's probably because we were on one of the few main roads. I've never consumed so much water in my life -- Catherine, the ER nurse, made sure we were well-hydrated. We stopped for a very nice lunch somewhere around the 60 mile mark, which was a great break.

Things got dicey shortly after the lunch break. Traffic started getting very heavy once we hit the Saigon city limits, probably about 2 hours before the end of our ride. (Saigon, with its more than 10 million people, is huge.) The last hour was just plain scary. I've seen Saigon traffic before -- when we were here in 2001 -- but never from a bicycle. Rather, it was always from the safety of a sidewalk or cab. We hit Saigon at 5 p.m., right at the start of rush hour. It was simply amazing. We wove in and out of motorbikes, and, to a lesser extent, cars and buses as well. Somehow, the six of us stayed together and made it to the end in one piece. (All seven riders were great about that -- supported one another (as did Catherine and our cheerleader, Sandy) and worked to stay together as a group.)

Today was extraordinarily challenging, but I'm so happy that I did it. For goodness sakes, how many people can say they've ridden a bike 100 miles (yes, I rode all 100 miles.....once I hit 60, I didn't want to get into the van!), ending with a trip through the incredible rush-hour traffic of Saigon, where the only rule of the road is that you shouldn't get hit.....or hit anyone else. Other than that, it's one big game of Frogger.

Time to find some food.....100 miles on a bike can make a girl hungry. (And sore.....I'll need to spend the plane ride home standing up!)

Thursday's Report

Thursday was much like Wednesday, but at a different location in Dong Thap. We were in another small clinic building. I worked with Judy again, applying flouride to children's teeth and recording notes. We saw 313 people at the clinic on Thursday.

Wednesday's Report

I'm back in Saigon following the cycling trip from Dong Thap. Before moving on to that adventure, however, I want to catch up on the week....

On Wednesday, the medical team set up its clinic at a public building (like a one-room town hall) and neighboring clinic building in Dong Thap. (This isn't a clinic like you and I would picture one, but was just a little three-room building.) It felt like a pretty remote area, because we had to leave our buses 10-15 minutes away and take "tuk-tuks" into the site. (Tuk-tuks are these crazy little vehicles with a spot for the driver in front and then two benches in back to cram in as many people as possible. The road was too narrow for the buses, and there is no way the bridges would have held them.) So, we unloaded the buses and loaded up 4 tuk-tuks with our medical team and gear.

It's amazing how quickly we can set up shop once we reach a site. When we got to our location on Wednesday, people were already waiting for us out front, so we had to set up quickly. I had the chance to work with the dentist, Judy, again, which was great. We only saw children in the dental area on Wednesday.....no adults. There simply wasn't enough time to see everyone, so the children were given priority in hopes that there can be some improvements made to their dental conditions. We saw a total of 277 people at the clinic on Wednesday.

I spent Wednesday morning painting flouride onto the kids' teeth. In the afternoon, I switched with another team member and recorded the Judy's notes for her. We would make notations of which teeth needed to be pulled and filled, in hopes that Catalyst can arrange for some follow-up care for these children. (And just to mess with the compulsive lawyer who was taking notes for her, Judy would through in an occasional "refer for complete orthodonic work up" my way.) It was the same situation as in Kien Giang though......for every child with relatively healthy teeth, there were a dozen children with several teeth needing to be pulled.

There was one cute situation....

There was an adult with significant tooth pain, so Judy saw him. He needed to have a tooth pulled, but Judy didn't have anything to numb his mouth with. She explained that to him through a translator, and he still wanted it pulled. So, Judy pulled it right then and there, and the man was very grateful. There was a little girl behind him in line, who had previously complained to the nurse of tooth pain, which was noted on her form. After seeing what Judy did to this man who complained of tooth pain, however, this girl insisted that she had no pain whatsoever!

Also, although I didn't see any of this unfold, my understanding is that there was an accident at a construction site near our clinic that day. Five men injured in the accident were brought to the clinic and treated by the physicians there. It was great that they had the opportunity to step in like that and provide unexpected care to the people of Dong Thap.

Tuesday's Report - Part 2

After visiting the dump Tuesday morning, the medical team headed back to its clinic site at the school. I had been measuring height and weight the previous two days, but on Tuesday I got to be a dentist! OK, I didn't actually get to be a dentist. I did, however, get to help our dentist, Judy.

Visiting the dump first thing Tuesday morning put us a bit late in arriving at the work site. There were already a lot of people waiting for us. The scene was definitely the most chaotic we had encountered thus far at our clinics in Vietnam. We needed to move people through quickly, which is why I had the opportunity to help the dentist out. After a quick lesson on what I was looking for in the "patients'" mouths, we were off and running.

I learned a lot from our dentist that afternoon (and more so since) -- not so much about dentistry (I'll stick to the law), but about how what you see in the mouths of these children and adults reflects the difficulty of their lives -- both in the conditions which led to their dental problems and the fact that these problems, which could be remedied so easily with the proper care, will cause them ongoing pain and, in the case of infection, illness. I looked into the mouths of young children whose teeth were all rotten, broken, stained, and missing. I looked into the mouths of the elderly, who often had only one or two remaining teeth.

It was sad to think that the people of this area, particularly the children, have this additional struggle to deal with. They already lack enough food and any clean drinking water. In addition to fighting the battles that accompany hunger and polluted water, however, their bodies have to fight the infections in their mouths. Even if children have all the food in the world, they can't grow if they won't eat because of the pain and they can't thrive if their bodies are busy fighting off an ever-present infection. There are so many things that we take for granted that would make all the difference in their lives.

Another of my "duties", however, was to "paint" the children's teeth with flouride. It must have tasted awful, because they all walked away grimacing or spitting, but it was wonderful to feel like maybe that care will result in even a small improvement in their health down the road. I'm very grateful to have had the chance to participate in this aspect of the medical team's work.

Once we were done for the day and packed up the clinic, we headed back to the hotel for a quick shower and hit the road. We drove to Dong Thap Tuesday evening, arriving around 8:30 p.m. It was a bumpy bus ride, complete with two ferries, but it was great to see more of the delta region.

While in Kien Giang for three days, the Catalyst team gave out 75 bikes to children (not just for "fun", but to get to school, to the market, etc.) and distributed food to 75 families. We saw 550 people through the medical clinic and the construction team built two houses. It was amazing.

I'll miss Kien Giang. We spent Wednesday and Thursday in Dong Thap (more on that later), but there was something very special about the children of Kien Giang.

What an Opportunity!

I want to get back to reporting on my week, but first I want to take advantage of the fact that I was able to get into my blog tonight and update you on tomorrow's adventure.....

After working with our teams tomorrow, we're scheduled to take a bus from here in Dong Thap to Saigon late in the afternoon. The bike team, however, will skip working with the teams tomorrow. Instead, they'll leave Dong Thap at 5 a.m. and bike the 100 miles to Saigon. Unfortunately, one of the cyclists had to drop out of the ride. (She's the physician heading the medical team. She's doing an absolutely fantastic job -- great leadership skills -- and is simply indispensible with regard to tomorrow's work at the clinic.) Anyway, that left an opening and I couldn't resist!

So, I'll be joining the biking team tomorrow. There are 7 of us for 6 bikes, so we won't actually ride a full 100 miles, but it will be close. We'll be followed by a van carrying lots of water, as well as an ER nurse from our overall Catalyst team. (Whew!) Another team member will be along in the van to take photos and just keep us company.

It will be hot, it will be dirty, and I'm not at all convinced that running has prepared me for such a challenging ride (it certainly hasn't prepared by backside for the tiny bike seat), but it's a once in a lifetime opportunity! Who could resist?

Tuesday's Report - Part 1 (but today is Wednesday!)

I was just about to give up posting anything today when Vietnam's totally unpredictable internet communication system let me on-line, so here I am!

Although it's Wednesday evening, I want to provide an update on Tuesday first. Tuesday was without question my most amazing day in Vietnam thus far.

I knew the day was off on the right foot when they had fried eggs on the menu for breakfast.....finally, some protein for me!!! (Don't get me wrong, there's been plenty of protein on the table at every meal....just not the kind I'm adventurous enough to eat. Again, squid is not in any of my four food groups.)

After breakfast, the medical team headed to the garbage dump in Kien Giang. This was actually the "old dump". The old dump got full, so the government had to open a new one several miles away. Most families who lived in the dump moved right along with it -- after all, there's no new garbage being added to the dump, so there's nothing to to scavenge. Approximately 30 families stayed behind though, in part because the old dump is closer to the school that Catalyst built. (My understanding is that the new dump is a couple of hours away by foot.) We visited the old dump because it's closer to the school, which is where we had been doing our medical work in Kien Giang.

Please, if you're reading this post, promise that you'll take the time to check back in after I've returned from Vietnam and posted photos from the dump. I can't possibly do what I saw justice in a quick blog before dinner -- you need to see the photos.

The dump is absolutely huge. I couldn't have imagined there was so much trash in all of Vietnam, much less in this one place. It stretches as far as the eye can see, with hills and valleys of garbage. You have to enter the dump by foot....parking a couple of hundred meters away. As you walk into the dump, you pass houses along the edge of path. Before you know it, you're in the dump. There are people -- children, adults, grandparents -- living, walking, sitting, right there amongst the trash. Their homes -- wooden lean-tos in some instances, shacks in others -- are built on top of and between piles of trash.

I took many photos as I walked through the trash, but I didn't take a photo of anyone without asking first. It just didn't feel right. I somehow wanted to believe they knew that I wasn't taking the photos because they were "novelties" or to cheapen them in any way like that, but because I want to remember what I saw in Vietnam and because I want to share the photos with others, hoping they will make any effort they choose to support efforts to help these people improve their lives.

Around one corner, I ran into three little boys that I remembered quite clearly from the clinic the day before. I took their photo and was absolutely thrilled when I realized that I had taken a photo of them together the day before at the clinic. It somehow made our work here very concrete for me -- to see the boys both at the clinic and then again surrounded by the garbage dump that is their home.

As we left, we walked along a small body of water in the dump. I looked up and saw a truck backed up to the water. The truck was literally emptying its tank of raw sewage.....pumping the sewage directly into the water that is these children's front yard.....the water that undoubtedly leads right to the water from which they drink and in which they bathe. It was horribly sad....but also incredibly important to see.

Tuesday afternoon at the clinic was absolutely wonderful. I can't talk about it now though.....I'm covered in bug spray and sunscreen after a day at the clinic today, and am scheduled to be at dinner in less than a half-hour.

More tomorrow.....if the internet connections here cooperate!

Monday's Report

Today was a very busy day. We were on our buses to breakfast by 6:15 a.m. The food continues to be one of my biggest challenges -- I just can't bring myself to try squid and many of the other standards here. As long as there is white rice or bread, I'm fine though.

After breakfast, we headed back to the school to see patients all day. My understanding is that we saw 275+ individuals between 8:30 and 5 p.m. or so. It was, of course, incredibly hot. I was lucky to have a station out of the direct sunlight. We lost a nurse to what I assume is heat stroke late in the afternoon. All in all, however, everyone appeared to hang in there. Catalyst does a wonderful job of keeping bottled water everywhere. (They've planned on 20 bottles per volunteer per day.)

It's difficult to capture all I saw today in a quick post. I hope I can do a better job with photos, once I have the chance to upload them from home.

The bottom line, however, is that this is an incredibly impoverished part of our world. It impacts everyone -- babies, children, adults, and the elderly. Many children don't even have shoes. Those who do appear to have scavenged them from somewhere. The parents and grandparents (and great-grandparents) who bring children in all look so tired and worn. Nothing about life is easy for these people. Somehow, however, the children still manage to smile and be silly. (One little boy squawked out a "what's your name" to me today. This was a rare event, because I've encountered very few people of the area who speak any English at all. I'm certain this was his only phrase. Anyway, he spent the next five minutes in line practicing saying "Amy". He was adorable.)

I heard and saw several incredibly moving demonstrations of the poverty...

...We saw a married couple with four children.. They were only 17 years old. They grew up as neighbors. Their respective families had too many children and too little money or food, so they married the children off to one another at the age of 14.

...We heard several stories of abuse. I realize that happens in all economic classes, but the problem seems to flourish in the stress of extreme poverty.

...We saw little boys at the school drinking the "reserve" water for the toilets. There simply is no clean drinking water for the people here....period. (This is one of Catalyst's long-term projects. That is, to provide a purification system.)

There were also, however, several moments that stand out as very bright spots admist the need here...

...One very elderly woman looked up and said "Thank you very much" after I measured her height. I was shocked to hear her speak English at all and I certainly didn't expect to be thanked for something so simple.

...There was a group of little boys in line who were absolute monkeys. They were every bit as silly as my own children, despite all of their needs.

...I got the chance to hold a 6 year old girl who was seriously crippled by cerebral palsy, with her limbs constricted. It just felt like an honor to be able to hold such a vulnerable child for a few minutes.

Well, that's it from Vietnam for today. We go back to the school to work tomorrow. At the end of the work day, we get on a bus and drive 4-6 hours to our next site, Dong Thap. I'll post more from Dong Thap if I can find an internet cafe. If not, I'll certainly do so from Saigon late in the week.

More Sunday

I skipped dinner with the group tonight -- you can only look at so much steamed squid, eyeball and all -- so that I could update things here a bit. (Plus, I figure I can live on the granola bars that are in my suitcase for at least a couple of days!)

Anyway, I wanted to finish up about Sunday, before it all blends in to Monday in my mind....

Once we landed in Rach Gia, we headed to the school that Catalyst built for the girls livinging in the Rach Gia garbage dump. (As an aside, my understanding is that the majority of the girls who attend the school have been victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking, most of which is difficult to even comprehend. These girls are as young as 4 years old when they are victimized. Catalyst staffs the school with 3 teachers and a principal. The cost of running the school -- staff and operation -- is $8,000 per year.) At that point, we met up with the volunteers who had traveled from other locations in Vietnam and finished sorting the donations. (Medicine had to be re-packaged, clothes sorted, etc.) After a quick lunch, we started our work at the school.

Before getting in to my afternoon, however, I want to mention that another team -- the home construction team -- is doing incredible things in the unimaginable mid-day heat here in Rach Gia. They work unbelievably hard and are to be commended. The food distribution team has likewise been working hard.

But, from my perspective, it's on to the medical team....

We set up shop at the school We had several stations -- registration, height, weight, vision screening, dental (exam and flouride), nursing, and, when necessary, physician exams. My job, thus far, has been measuring the height of each individual who comes in.

It has been incredibly hot while we work. (I don't know what this converts to, but it was 48 degrees celcius at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.) Some of the individuals we saw walked 2.5 hours to get to us.....it's incredible. (I've noticed that I use that word -- incredible -- a lot in my posts. I can't help it.....that's what much of this is.)

We saw 72 individuals in the course of 3 hours Sunday afternoon. Although that pace is much slower than what we need to keep the rest of the week, it was a good start, particularly given that we weren't expecting to see any "patients" on Sunday......it was supposed to be our planning day, when we figured out how to set up. Instead, it was baptism by fire!

A few comments on accomodations here in Rach Gia.... The geckos are everywhere. I'm sharing a room with Kathy. We ultimately slept with the light on because there was a HUGE gecko in our room, and it kept "chirping". The light kept it quiet......it also kept me from imaging it scurrying across my bed!

Couple of Corrections

OK, I was off on a couple of things....

Apparently, I'm in Rach Gia, not Bach Ria. Oh well! Also, the body of water out my hotel window is the Gulf of Thailand.....I think.

Easter Sunday

Well, this was without question the most unique Easter Sunday I've ever had!

We had a pretty relaxed morning. We didn't have to leave for the airport until 7:30 a.m. This time, we caught a flight from Phu Quoc to our work site location here in Kien Giang, Bach Ria. Bach Ria is where Catalyst has built a school for the young girls living in the garbage dump. (The big news is that their brothers will be allowed to start there in two weeks.....they are expanding!)

This flight was on the same plane as yesterday -- small. It was a little bumpy, but not too bad. We were in Bach Ria within 45 minutes and went to check into our respective hotels. All 90 of us are together now, spread out over 3 hotels.

Sunday was a huge day for us, because we started our work here in Vietnam. I've got much to share with you.....but for now, it's time to walk back to the hotel and get some sleep before another big day of work.

Catching up....

I'm going to try to update all on my trip a bit before leaving the internet cafe. (I don't want to walk back to the hotel alone though, so I'll have to cut this short once Kathy is ready to leave.) I'll apologize in advance though -- I'm trying to squeeze a lot of information into my notes, so much of this may seem scattered. Also, I've learned that I can't get the blog to spellcheck in Vietnam, so please excuse any typos!

We had to be in the hotel lobby at 4 a.m. Saturday to catch another flight, so I didn't bother going to sleep once we arrived in Saigon on a flight just a couple of hours earlier. The experience at the airport Saturday morning was absolutely crazy. Our bus was on "Vietnam time", which means that time is all relative. Nothing gets done when you expect it to, which I learned to accept in earlier trips to Vietnam. The bus was 45 minutes late, which put us to the airport very close to the time of our flight. Caroline, the head of Catalyst, was a woman possessed -- she somehow got us through security, check-in, etc. and on the plane. (Then again, we were taking up 30 of the 50 seats on the plane, so perhaps it wouldn't have left without us!)

It was a tiny plane.....the kind that REALLY scares me! I was lucky to sit next to Caroline for the flight, however, so I learned a ton about the work that Catalyst is doing in Vietnam. It's absolutely amazing. (For those of you who generously gave to Catalyst, I can only assure you that the funds are being used so very carefully and wisely.....and are making a difference in the lives of people here.) I'd love to tell you all about it, so I encourage anyone who's interested to ask me more about it upon my return.

The flight was only about 45 minutes long. We landed at a tiny airport in Phu Quoc, which is located in Kien Giang province. The purpose of Saturday was really just to give everyone one day of rest after the long trip from the USA. It was also to get everyone spread out a bit, which made getting us to our work site in Kien Giang today a bit easier for Catalyst. (We all split up between three different destinations for Saturday. Logistically, it would be harder to transport 90 people from the same place, than to transport 30 people from 3 different places -- easier to find hotels, etc.)

We were staying at a nice hotel in Phu Quoc. The hotel was located right on a beach, so the kids in our group swam in what I think was the South China Sea. (I'll have to check a map once I'm home though!) My day didn't start out as exciting as theirs......they have so much energy! Instead, I had breakfast at the hotel and then took a very short nap on the beach. (I was woken up by an Australian couple that was vacationing there and wanted to hear about the Aid Expedition. Very interesting people.) After that, it was time for lunch. Eating here is really a challenge for me.....I'm a picky eater by U.S. standards, so in Vietnam, I'm off the charts! Plus, we've had two people stricken by food poisoning already......I don't want to join the list.

Anyway, lunch was elephant snail. (For me, it was white rice!)

After lunch, I joined a couple of others on a tour of Phu Quoc. We went to a pearl shop, a prison from the war (turned museum), and a market. The market was like the one Michael and I saw back in 2001 -- swarming with thousands of people, motorbikes, hanging chickens, fish heads, etc.

Then, it was time for dinner. Dinner was another interesting experience -- this time, steamed squid for some. (And, yes, white rice for Amy!)

I finally ran out of steam Saturday evening and was in bed by 8:30......I was asleep by the time my head hit the pillow.

Difficult to Communicate

I've got so much that I want to share with everyone. As I've learned over the past 36 hours, however, doing so will be difficult -- hit or miss -- from here in Vietnam. Because it's a communist country, the government monitors internet use. Many websites, specifically blogs, are simply completely blocked -- they can't be accessed. That's the problem I've run into the past couple of days. Sometimes, however, you can "sneak" into the site at off-hours. That's what I'm doing now. It was no small feat. A very kind employee of the agency that we're partnering with here in Vietnam spent almost an hour with Kathy (a friend of mine here on the Expedition) and I, searching the streets for an internet cafe here on Sunday night.

So, please keep checking back! I'll get on whenever I can......and what I have to leave out now, I'll update later!

P.S.

A-ha....apparently the "posted by" time-stamps on my notes are Pennsylvania time, not Vietnam time, becuase it's currently 2:30 a.m.

We're Here!!!

Well, it was a very long trip. Michael and the kids dropped me off at the airport in Harrisburg at 5:15 Thursday morning. The flight left right on time, at 6:45 a.m. After a five-hour layover in Chicago, we headed around the world. The flight to Seoul took 14 hours.....and it felt every minute of it! Thankfully, however, it was a smooth one. (I don't do well with a lot of turbulance....at all.) Then I had a three-hour layover in Seoul. The airport was nice....very bright. After that, it was another 5-hour flight to HCMC. This one was a lot bumpier, but not awful.

We landed in HCMC at 10:45 p.m. Friday night, local time. The trip itself took a total of about 29 hours, with 21 of them in the air. It was amazing to be back in Saigon.....it all felt very familiar once I got off the plane, although it's been 7 years since I was last here.

Much to my surprise, getting through customs was a breeze.....it took awhile, but my luggage didn't even get searched. We got to the hotel around 1 a.m., just in time to separate our donations from our luggage and take a shower before getting ready to head back out. We have to be in the hotel lobby at 4 a.m. to head to the airport for our flight in the morning.

More to come!

All packed...

...and ready to go! (And with 3 hours to spare before we have to leave for the airport...maybe I can catch a quick rest!)

A report on the final numbers before heading out:

• 60 individuals (or families) and one church youth group contributed to my role in the Aid Expedition
• You donated $2,825 to Catalyst Foundation under my "account" for purposes of supporting our Aid Expedition work, including home building, food distribution, and medical services
• You donated $1,685 to help defray my travel expenses, including airfare and lodging
• You donated enough "in-kind" goods for the Expedition (children's clothes, toiletries, toys, etc.) to fill 4 large boxes, which I shipped out in advance, as well as an army-style duffel bag, which will travel with me as checked luggage, weighing a whopping 42.5 pounds!

Your generosity is overwhelming. Thank you so very much.

More from Vietnam!

What a Schedule!!!

Caroline, the head of Catalyst Foundation and the Aid Expedition's fearless leader, sent us our individualized "itineraries" yesterday. ("Itineraries" is in quotes, because I think the key will be to stay flexible and go with the flow.) Here's the gist of it though:

• Thursday, March 20th -- Fly out of Harrisburg at 6:55 a.m. My trip will take me through Chicago and Seoul before landing in Ho Chi Minh City.
• Friday, March 21st -- Arrive in HCMC at 10:40 p.m., local time. By the time we get through immigration and customs, and travel to our hotel, I suspect it will be very late.
• Saturday, March 22nd -- Up bright and early. I will be joining a handful of people on a 5:55 a.m. flight to Phu Quoc. We'll be there by 6:30 a.m. After that, it will be a rest day, which will be nice after the long trip. I hear that Phu Quoc is beautiful.
• Sunday, March 23rd -- Up early again for a 7:30 a.m. flight to Kien Giang. (Our rest time is officially over for the remainder of the trip!) It's a short flight....we'll be there by 8 a.m. Then it's time to meet the rest of the Aid Expedition volunteers and spend a couple of hours sorting through the donations that we've all collected, so that we've got them organized for the following days. We have a dinner that evening with local officials.
• Monday, March 24th -- This is a for-real work day for the teams. We'll start with breakfast at 6 a.m., and I'll work with the medical team from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (All of our "work days" start with breakfast at 6 a.m., with us on-site by 7 a.m.)
• Tuesday, March 25th --Another exciting work day in Kien Giang! We'll wrap up around 2 p.m. though, because we have to travel to Dong Thap that evening. It will be a 6-hour bus trip.....we're expect to arrive around 10 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 26th -- A full-blown work day in Dong Thap, with a dinner with local officials that evening.
• Thursday, March 27th -- Another work day in Dong Thap!
• Friday, March 28th -- We'll be working until 2 p.m. this day and then hopping on a bus at 4 p.m. for a 5-hour drive to HCMC.
• Saturday, March 29th -- I'll work with the medical team until noon, after which we'll travel by bus to Ho Coc. We should arrive by 7 p.m. or so.
• Sunday, March 30th and Monday, March 31st -- I'm a little fuzzy on these two days, but I think they are the days that we put on a camp for the children of the area. The medical team will work during camp, doing exams of the children, but there will be lots of chances to show the kids a fun time as well! There will be 250-300 kids at camp.....these kids have probably never been given a gift (and we'll have lots!), had a full belly, or been able to just sit there and laugh.....for them, I'm hoping it's simply two days worry-free days in their young lives.
• Tuesday, April 1st -- Up bright and early! We get back on the bus and head to HCMC at 6 a.m. We should be there by 10 a.m. I'll have the day to finally do some shopping in the markets and shops of HCMC!!! Then, it's off to the airport. I've got a 11:50 p.m. flight out of HCMC, through Seoul and then Chicago.
• Wednesday, April 2nd -- Land in Harrisburg shortly after 4 p.m.!

And there you have it.....it sounds as if we'll be moving constantly. As I look back up at the itinerary, I can't get much beyond, "Wow!!!"

A little background...

I've got a couple bits of background information about Vietnam and my role on the Aid Expedition that I've been wanting to share, so here they are!

• It will be hot.....hot, hot, hot, hot, hot......in Vietnam. We'll be in the very southern part of the country, near the equator. The sun is directly overhead much of the day. March through May are the hottest and driest months of the year there, so we'll be in the thick of it. It generally gets up to around 104 degrees during the day. (After about 90, however, who's counting?)
• As far as time zones go, Vietnam is 11 hours ahead of Pennsylvania. (And to my Mom in Wisconsin, who is undoubtedly doing the math as she reads this, that means I'll be 12 hours ahead of you!)
• The Aid Expedition volunteers are broken down into three teams -- food distribution, home building, and medical. I was very happy to learn that I was placed on the medical team. (There are a handful of non-medical types, such as myself, on the team for crowd control, and to just generally help with whatever needs to be done.) My understanding is that we're planning to examine 500 people on each of our "work days". I have a feeling I'll be asleep before my head hits the pillow at night!

Getting close...

I can't believe I'm leaving for Vietnam in less than two weeks. Although my focus is still on getting work and home ready for me to be gone, I was able to spend some time this weekend gathering items for the trip as well -- Sunscreen, 40% Deet and lots of Polaroid film. (Anyone would need sunscreen in Vietnam's equatorial climate, but with my fair skin, the higher the SPF, the better. The Deet will hopefully keep any illness-carrying mosquitoes away during the day and the creepy crawlies away while I sleep at night. I'm told that the Polaroid film will prove to be lots of fun, because it will give me the chance to make the kids we help in Vietnam feel like "rock stars" when I give them photos of themselves.)

Donations are up even farther from my post a week ago. Specifically, you have contributed $2,750 to Catalyst Foundation in my name to help fund the Expedition's work...thank you! Also, in addition to the in-kind donations from you which I've already shipped to Catalyst in order to be redistributed amongst team members, I've now got enough to fill my own "army style" duffle bag, which will travel with me as checked luggage.

Eleven days and counting...

Your Genorosity!

As you might have read on the organization's website, Catalyst Foundation conducts an Aid Expedition every-other-year. After toying with the idea for a couple of months, I applied for the 2008 Aid Expeidtion in August 2007. I learned in September 2007 that I had been accepted for the trip, but I don't think that reality set in until I began soliciting funds and in-kind donations for the Expedition. (By way of background, each volunteer is required to raise a minimum of $1,000 towards the cost of our Expedition projects. Volunteers are also responsible for their own airfare, meals, and lodging costs. Finally, volunteers are asked to collect as many "in-kind" donations -- clothes, small toys, medicine, etc. -- as possible.)

I sent out my first email requesting contributions on January 8, 2008. I "hit up" everyone I could think of -- family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbors -- and the generous responses were overwhelming! In two short months, your amazing contributions to the Expedition have included:

* Donations to Catalyst Foundation totalling $2,660!

* Four large boxes of in-kind donations (clothes, toys, crayons, children's medicines, toiletries, etc.)......with more still coming in!

* Incredible donations to help defray my travel costs!

Thank you so much for your generosity. It means a lot to me and will mean so very much to the children we'll be serving in Vietnam.

Getting Started...

It's hardly fair to call this post "Getting Started," because I started on this adventure more than six months ago. Tonight's the night that I finally got started on my blog though, so it seemed fitting!

In just 19 days (yikes!), I'll be leaving for Vietnam, participating in an Aid Expedition sponsored by Catalyst Foundation, a non-profit humanitarian organization out of Northfield, Minnesota. (Please take time to read about the amazing work that Catalyst does in Vietnam. The link to their website is over on the right-hand side of this page, as is the link to the "official" 2008 Aid Expedition blog hosted by Catalyst.) I've got so much to do between getting the family and home ready for me to be gone for two weeks, getting work under control enough for me to be completely absent, and getting myself packed and ready to go! My family has been great though and my friends incredibly supportive -- thank you to everyone.

Over the next couple of days, I plan to share some background information as to how I got here -- that is how I got 19 days away from a trip around the globe -- and, more importantly, information regarding how amazingly generous everyone has been in their donations to the Expedition. Keep reading!